DROP THE ANCHOR: Inside Field Hockey’s Nautical Mantra
By Shannon Slater, staff writer
Franklin Pierce is an institution known for its traditions, especially within the Department of Athletics. From the newly-minted Raven Nation pep rally, to the Hall of Fame inductions and end-of-the-year banquet, traditions make it easy for many teams to come together.
For the field hockey team, head coach Zoe Adkins thought the team deserved their own tradition, to develop a better team culture. Adkins, with some help from Makina Itchkavich-Levasseur, the team’s athletic trainer, introduced an anchor at the start of her third year of coaching at Franklin Pierce.
“I knew I needed to pick a tangible item or symbol. Something that we could easily identify and quickly adopt a deeper meaning into its symbolism. Anchors are easily noticeable and accessible in every way, shape or form; it could mean many things such as stability, strength, hope, adventure, et cetera,” said Adkins about why she chose the anchor.
Adkins is not the only one who benefits from the anchor and what it does to bring the team together. The entire team is responsible for deciding which words are on the big anchor, which is presented to a single person at the end of a practice or game, during the anchor ceremony. In the ceremony, the previous recipient of the anchor is the one to give it away, allowing it to be a peer-recognizing-peer achievement as well.
The three words painted on this year’s anchor are, “Resilient, United, Focused”. “Resilient” referring to being able to withstand and fight through difficult challenges. “United” standing for working together as a whole team and making sure that everyone is giving 100%. Finally, “focused,” which to the team means always looking for the next pass, the next save and, when the game is over, the next win. The team picked these three power words at the start of the season and strive to exemplify them every single day.
“To me the anchor is a representation of our team; the anchor is Franklin Pierce Field hockey,” said junior back Jessica Strassburg. “We are such a family, and now I don’t think I could ever look at an anchor and not think of Franklin Pierce and this team.”
At the beginning of the year, Adkins also had the players paint smaller anchors with one word on them that they wanted to work on for the season and school year. “It is another exercise to highlight the value in each individual’s contribution to the team,” said Adkins over an email interview.
“My word for the small anchors was ‘honest’, because I’m brutally honest with my teammates but sometimes I need to be more honest with my play,” said senior forward Ashley Silva, as an example. “Whether I’m having a good or bad day, sometimes I check out and I want to stay honest to my play and the team.”
The tradition is a way to give the team something to try to achieve and look forward to at the end of every practice and game. “Dropping the Anchor” is more than just a phrase to the field hockey team, but is also a new tradition they will never forget.
